St. Paul Lutheran Church

When Jesus was baptized, John called him, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This declaration made Jesus a dead man walking, a man who took sins and needed to die for them. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses what Jesus’ baptism means for us.

Christmas Day | 10am Traditional Pastor Smith Christmas Day | 10am Traditional Not seeing our emails? Check your junk file or contact churchoffice@stpaulwestlake.org to update your information. Enjoyed this sermon? Listen to more St. Paul Westlake Sermons below! Permalink

Christmas Eve | 11am Traditional Pastor Josh Christmas Day | 11am Traditional Not seeing our emails? Check your junk file or contact churchoffice@stpaulwestlake.org to update your information. Enjoyed this sermon? Listen to more St. Paul Westlake Sermons below! Permalink

Christmas Eve | 3pm Contemporary Pastor Smith Christmas Eve | 3pm Contemporary Not seeing our emails? Check your junk file or contact churchoffice@stpaulwestlake.org to update your information. Enjoyed this sermon? Listen to more St. Paul Westlake Sermons below! Permalink

Some things that you experience in life are so strange and unrelatable to most people. Usually we try to seek other people out who have gone through similar life experiences. Mary and Elizabeth are both going through unique circumstances. Both have received outlandish news from an angel and both are now impossibly pregnant! This is unrelatable to the rest of humanity. Mary eventually sings a song...

The prophet Micah was sent to give a similar message that Isaiah gave to God’s people. Judgment and destruction are coming justly in response to your sin. But grace and mercy are also coming close behind! Micah speaks to a people who have little security and peace because of their sin, and also because of the sinful, oppressive rulers and priests who are over them. These beaten down people need so...

God’s people felt hopelessness in exile. But God had prophesied that they would be in exile, but also that he would bring an end to their exile. We too experience some level of hopelessness living as exiles in the world we live in, but God has promised us that he would act in power and bring an end to our exile as well. 

In Isaiah’s vision, he rightfully is terrified to be before God’s presence. He is sinful, God is perfect. That is not a situation that goes well for sinful people. But God takes away his sin and guilt, allowing him to be in his presence. Join Pastor Josh as he talks about how we are brought into the presence of God, but don’t have to fear. 

Our readings this week focus on God’s people in exile in the land of Babylon. In reality, God’s people have always been in exile. From the time of exile from the Garden of Eden, up to our current day, we are exiles in a strange land. We long to go home! As we live in exile, we have several different choices for how to live. We could compromise. Or we could revolt! Or, we could choose a third way,...

Throughout Israel’s history, most of the kings- even the good kings- failed to do one thing: completely remove idolatry from the nation. King Josiah was the one to do this. To live a God-pleasing life, not only must we recognize the idols in our hearts, but we also must do something to remove them. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses this important teaching for Christians.

The more you read about Israel in the books of 1 & 2 Kings, the more troubled and disturbed you become. All around is corruption, conflict, and sin. The kings are supposed to be godly leaders, yet they give up the one true God for false gods. They give up truth for foolishness. They give up worshipping the Creator to worship created things. It seems to be hopeless. In this text, King Ahaziah is a...

The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, was led astray to do what he knew with his mind he should not do. He was led astray by his feelings/desires. Pastor Josh explores the proper role of our feelings and our logic, and how God has made us to use each of those in their proper contexts.

As we continue to read about David’s life and reign as king over Israel, we start to see sin and failure, even from the man who is “after God’s own heart.” God warned Israel about how an earthly king would be far worse than Himself as their king. This was obvious when it came to King Saul, and now King David falls into some of the same sinful pitfalls. When you are successful and powerful, it is e...

Who you relate to in a story affects how you see the story, as well as yourself. Join Pastor Josh as he talks about one of the most well-known Bible stories there is, the “story of the underdog,” David and Goliath, and see how he puts us into the story.

No one likes being told “no.” We want to get the things we ask for, and it’s not fun to be told no. But as a parent tells their child no to things that will cause harm, God does that to his children. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses 1 Samuel 8 and how, when God tells us no, it’s often for our own benefit.

The book of Joshua shows the process by which the Lord gives the Promised Land to Israel. God’s people are entirely passive in this process. It is only by following God’s commands, fully believing and trusting in Him, that they receive the land. Whenever they try to act according to their own power or wisdom, the result is total failure. At this point in our “Growing Through the Bible” journey, we...

The first commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” seems like a pretty easy commandment to keep, right? After all, you probably don’t have idols in a shrine that you bow down to every night. But Pastor Josh takes us through the story of the Israelites with the golden calf to see how: a god is not just a physical object, it’s where we find our identity. And where we find our identity is a daily...

As we begin the story of the book of Exodus this week, it starts with Israel being in slavery in Egypt, and crying out to the Lord for help. As a reader you can’t help but think of times when you have been in a time of great need and suffering, and you have cried out to God for help, and wondered if He even hears you or cares. In Ex 2:24-25, we see four very common verbs that are used. However, wh...

Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Where was God in this tragedy?” “Why is God allowing this terrible thing to happen to me?” These are all questions asked when trying to make sense of why bad things happen, and where God is during it.  Join Pastor Josh as he looks at the story of Joseph to learn some important lessons about God’s role in and response to bad circumstances we experience.

This week we focus on the story of Jacob, and in particular the memorable dream God gives him where he sees a ladder, or stairway, to heaven. This is a powerful vision for Jacob as he sees that God comes down from heaven to earth to be present with him and to deliver him great promises. Many years later, Jesus will refer back to this vision of the stairway to heaven in reference to Himself! This s...

When you read through the Bible, you might assume all the people in God’s story are holy and perfect and qualified. You’d be wrong. In fact, it is downright laughable the types of sinful people God chooses to include in His story of salvation. Laughter is a big theme in the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Laughter can mean multiple different things depending on the situation. We might laugh be...

Who gets to decide what’s right and wrong? If you and I disagree, then how do we actually decide? Pastor Josh takes us through Genesis 1 to see how: when God created, he gave definition to things- including what’s right and wrong. He walks us through how understanding that fundamental truth is key to understanding morality today.

Imagine that you are running a marathon for which you did not willingly register. And it’s really hard. There are numerous obstacles and difficulties, not to mention pain and suffering, standing between you and the finish line. You feel like giving up. But then you notice people cheering you on. These are people who have already finished the race, and they are encouraging you toward the finish lin...

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the “Heroes of Faith,” or the “faith hall of fame.” As Christians, we have a very strong connection to them, “by faith.” Join Pastor Josh as he draws upon what this connection is, what it means for us, and what it means for those around us.

We will look at two different men in this text. The first is rich beyond all comparison, but willingly gives it all away. The second thinks he is rich, but actually possesses nothing at all. The first is Jesus. The second is the man who is the main character in Jesus’ parable. In this sermon we will explore our relationship with material possessions and wealth. What does it mean to be rich? What d...